1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to methods for applying material for insulating walls and floors with fibrous cellulose insulation.
2. Description of Related Art
The prior art discloses a wide variety of spray-on cellulose insulation materials and systems for spraying insulation on ceilings, floors, and walls. The prior art discloses various "stabilized" spray-on or blow-in insulations for cavity walls which include loose fill fibers, moisture, adhesive material or both, to produce a somewhat rigid, stabilized mass with a desired reduced density. Such a mass in certain applications has some wet strength and is self-supporting temporarily. In one aspect such a prior art method employs some dry adhesive material that is activated by water. Certain of these prior art methods result in wasting an amount of sprayed-on or blown-in material which exits the area to which they are to be applied. Such material that is not deposited at the desired location, typically in the form of dust and overspray, must be collected and recycled or disposed of. Moving air can affect a surface to which such a mixture is applied, removing fibers from the surface and relocating them in an undesirable location. Such a mixture may settle and pack down in an undesired manner and may be easily damaged by workers and tradespeople working in the location.
A variety of known two-component adhesive resins are used with sprayed-on and blown-in fibrous cellulose insulating materials. The two components are generally designated as an "A" component (e.g. sodium silicate, polyvinyl alcohol, starch) and a "B" component (e.g. acrylic, vinyl acetate, vinyl latex). Such adhesives can provide wet strength to a fibrous mixture and adhere the fibers to a surface or substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,983, co-owned with the present invention and incorporated here fully for all purposes, discloses prior art systems for applying fibrous cellulose insulation material with an adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,440, co-owned with the present invention and incorporated fully herein for all purposes, discloses insulating fiber mixtures that include water, fibers, and an adhesive that is a combination of sodium silicate and an acrylic resin.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,684,068 and 5,853,802, both co-owned with the present invention and fully incorporated herein for all purposes, disclose spray-on insulation compositions with cellulose fibers and a polyvinyl alcohol adhesive and, in certain aspects, an acrylic resin.
There has long been a need for an effective spray-on fibrous cellulose insulating mixture for walls and floors and systems for using them. There has long been a need, recognized by the present inventors, for such mixtures and systems which reduce the amount of undeposited material. There has long been a need for such mixtures and systems which reduce or eliminate the need for protective netting or barriers used with certain prior art methods and/or reduce or eliminate the need for such netting used to capture blown loose materials. There has long been a need, recognized by the present inventors, for such mixtures and systems which result in a uniformly less dense product, but a product with sufficient wet strength and sufficient set strength to inhibit or prevent undesirable settling and packing. There has long been a need for such a mixture that maintains a significant amount of or substantially all its original installed density and integrity without inordinate settling.